


FOLLOW ME DOWN?

by BloomingBeaches



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Angst, Anxiety Attacks, Caring Technoblade (Video Blogging RPF), Enderman Ranboo (Video Blogging RPF), Evil Clay | Dream (Video Blogging RPF), Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Good Friend Technoblade (Video Blogging RPF), Hybrid Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Panic Attacks, Parental Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Piglin Hybrid Technoblade (Video Blogging RPF), Ranboo Angst (Video Blogging RPF), Ranboo-centric (Video Blogging RPF), Self-Harm, Separation Anxiety, Suicide Attempt, Tags May Change, Technoblade Rasied TommyInnit AU, Technoblade has Trust Issues, Trust Issues, Wilbur Soot and Technoblade are Twins
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-08
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-12 03:54:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 18
Words: 15,877
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28629150
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BloomingBeaches/pseuds/BloomingBeaches
Summary: Ranboo flees to Technoblade's house and asks for a place to stay, for a friend. He doesn't need sides, he needs someone to be there for him. Someone he can be there for.Technoblade welcomes him. Not with opens arms, he's very much kept at arm's length. Ranboo understands, he does. And he's okay with that. Some people just need time.Time and a reason to give trust.
Relationships: No Romantic Relationship(s), Ranboo & Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Ranboo & Technoblade (Video Blogging RPF), Technoblade & Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF)
Comments: 191
Kudos: 1826





	1. Act One, Scene One: Leave. Don't Come Back. I Have to Get Out of Here.

**Author's Note:**

> Act One: Trust is Out of the Question, Huh?

_ Friends: _

_ Tubbo _

_ Tommy _

_ Niki _

_ Fundy _

_ Quackity _

  
  


Ranboo digs through his chests. Enderchest meows from across the room. He looks back at his cat, his sleek black coat of fur seemingly shining in the moon’s light. Ranboo smiles sadly and then goes back to digging through his chests.

He’s looking for armor. He thinks it’s in here. Tubbo told him it was, so he sees no reason as to why it wouldn’t be. 

It takes a few more minutes of searching through his chests before he finds it. When he does, he lets out an  _ a-ha! _ , stuffing it inside his inventory.

He also grabs food, a couple of leads, and some cobblestone and dirt. He latched a lead onto Enderchest and smiled at the rest of his pets. “I’ll come back for you all, okay?” 

Ranboo opens his door as quickly and quietly as he can, shutting it just as fast when both he and his cat are out the door. “We’re gonna get out of here, Enderchest. We’ll be okay.” He whispers.

He turns around and sees Tubbo. “Hi, Ranboo!” He says, smiling. “Where are you going?”

Ranboo gulps. He hates lying to his friends (Are they even friends?), especially Tubbo, but no one can know where he’s going.  _ Who  _ he’s going to. He still lies to his blond friend. “I’m going to the nether. I just need to find something, then I’ll be back.” He feels guilt bubbling up in his chest already. He has to get out of here before he spills the truth.

Tubbo smiles at him though. “Alright! See you later, be safe!” He says before walking away. “Bye Enderchest!” He bids the cat goodbye and Ranboo quickly leaves after saying his own goodbye.

He walks to the Nether Portal quickly. He can’t afford anyone else seeing him, anyone else questioning him. He sees Quackity around the Community House so he tries to go through the water. His skin starts to sting as soon as he touches it and he curses, realizing that he  _ has _ to go through the Community House.

Quackity smiles at him and, luckily, doesn’t ask him any questions.

Ranboo gives him back a shaky smile and continues towards the portal. Quackity goes towards the heart of L’Manberg, probably to either talk to Tubbo or vandalize more anarchy propaganda with Fundy. Ranboo shakes his head as he enters the portal.

When he gets there, Fundy is about to come through the portal. The two share a hello and then they’re gone on their separate ways. Ranboo lets out a sigh of relief as he sees Fundy enter the portal, and then he’s off to the snowy biome of the server.

///

He knocks on the door. It takes a few seconds for someone to open the door. When it is opened, though, he’s met with a tired pig face. Technoblade looks like he just woke up. Ranboo smiles, nervous.

“What do you want, Ranboo?” He asks, eyes squinted.

Ranboo gulps. “Hi?” 

“That doesn’t answer anything!” He yells. Ranboo looks down at his feet. Technoblade sighs. “What do you want, Ranboo?”

“Friends.” He says, hands fidgeting with each other. “I need someone that I know that I can rely on and one that knows they can rely on me.”

Technoblade stares at him. Ranboo doesn’t like the feel of his eyes staring at him, as if trying to kill him with his eyes.

“You can build your house over there if you’re going to be here for a long time.” Ranboo looks up, surprised, and sees Technoblade pointing behind his house. After a second, he smiles brightly and has to physically restrain himself from jumping Technoblade with a hug.

_ Friends: _

_ Tubbo _

_ Tommy _

_ Niki _

_ Fundy _

_ Quackity _

_ Technoblade _


	2. Act 1, Scene 2: oh, yeah! your armor!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ranboo and Technoblade talks about a bit of everything. And by everything, I mean Ranboo rants about why they shouldn't be picking sides.

“So,” Technoblade leans against his wall, watching as Ranboo makes some soup for the two of them, “Why’d you leave L’Manberg?”

Ranboo sighs, “Too much controversy. They’re all about  _ sides _ and going  _ against people _ when they should be  _ for  _ people. They don’t understand.” His shoulders droop but he turns around with two bowls of soup in his hand. He and Technoblade sit down at the table.

They start eating and conversation is slow to pick up. Ranboo continues talking and Technoblade listens. “They don’t understand that we’re not supposed to have sides, that's how Dream wins. You know--you’ve heard of the first war!” He eats some of the soup before advancing in his rant.

Technoblade nods. “Why are you here, then? Isn’t that picking a side?”

Ranboo shakes his head. “I’m choosing friends. It’s similar, but not exactly the same. I’m for my friends, I want them to know that no matter what, I’ll be by their side.”

The piglin hybrid raises an eyebrow, “So you’re choosing a side… by not directly choosing a side?”

The half-enderman’s eyebrows scrunch together as he thinks. “Oh.. I guess.. I guess you’re right.” He stumbles through his words. “I didn’t think of it that way.” He gives a small smile as he finishes his soup, “Thank you, Technoblade.”

Technoblade’s face scrunches, “Just call me Techno, Ranboo. Technoblade feels too formal.” Ranboo nods, his smile widening. 

The two finish their soup with minimal conversation. It’s nice and quiet, much unlike how L’Manberg is.

L’Manberg is loud and boisterous. It’s the freedom of its citizens enjoying one another’s company. It’s amazing and beautiful and not nearly as much as it is here with Techno.

Ranboo gets up when they both finish their soup. “What’s it like here?” He asks. He doesn’t think Techno was expecting more conversation if the way his piglin ears perk up is any indication. “Like.. living in the snow, and being able to do whatever you want. Is it nice?”

Techno nods, “It’s pleasurable. It suits mine and Phil’s needs just fine and I’ve never had any problems. Besides the abundance of mobs.”

“I noticed that there were a lot of mobs!” Ranboo agrees, “By the way, why do you have an enderman in your house? Don’t you like.. kill them?” He questions.

Technoblade shrugs.

“He’s my roommate. His name is Edward.”

“Edward, huh?”

Techno nods. The conversation ends there and the two of them sit in silence for a while. During this time, Ranboo decides to take a look at the house. He can see Edward, can talk to him, too. Edward is happy at Techno’s place and that makes Ranboo happy.

Normally Ranboo doesn’t like the quiet, he can never know if he’s supposed to remember something that his friends do or if he has to write something down in his notebook. Usually he writes down important stuff about his friends, but when it’s silent he can’t do that because he doesn’t know what’s important and what’s not.

But here, at Techno’s place, the quiet is welcomed. It’s nice and he realizes that there isn’t much to write. That keeps it simple and for him, simple is easy to remember. Simple is easy to know. It’s not something he’s known for long, but Ranboo finds himself falling into it quickly.

Ranboo likes it here at Techno’s. The quiet is simple. He’s not expected to fill the silence with his words. He’s not expected to remember things here.

Ranboo smiles and looks down at his feet, his hands wrapped neatly, placed on his thighs. It takes him a few seconds to remember the armor head brought with him, but when he does, his smile gets bigger and he starts to speak. 

“Oh! I found your armor! I know you have a new set, but I figured you’d like the original ones back, yknow? I couldn’t find your weapons, though, sorry about that,” He chuckles, digging the netherite armor out of his inventory and handing it over to the piglin hybrid.

Techno grunts out a thanks, but he doesn’t put on his old set of armor. Instead, he goes outside. Ranboo follows. The half-enderman only stands on the steps of the house, but Technoblade is out in the snow. The cold, unbearable snow. Techno places down an armor stand.

Ranboo watches curiously. He watches as Technoblade places the armor on the stand and then surrounds it with glass.

Technoblade turns around, “Now Quackity can see what a nerd he is.” He explains, Ranboo nods, still a little confused. He’s unsure of Techno’s motives in making sure Quackity knows he’s a nerd, but he can’t question it. He’s not either of them, he can only hope for the best outcome if it becomes violent later. 

They walk back inside the house and a conversation slowly builds up. Within a few minutes, they’re talking back and forth.

“So, your ‘sides’ thing? What’s that about?” Technoblade says, “Explain it to me, Ranboo.”

Ranboo perks up from where he’s standing. “You want to hear about that?”

Technoblade huffs, “If you’re going to live five feet away from me, I may as well know where you stand in terms of war and minor terrorism against L’Manberg.”

Ranboo chuckles. “Sides aren’t a thing that’s forged in lava. They’re made through bonds you’ve made along the way, through friendship. They’re like the sea--raging and also calm at the same time. The way sides are right now aren’t how they’re supposed to be. We’re supposed to be unified through our friendship and the bonds we’ve made by just being ourselves. 

“You can’t just go up to somebody and ask for them to join your country or your side. That’s not how things work--that’s how things get  _ worse _ !” He yells, becoming distressed. “That's how Dream keeps winning, he value a piece of land over anything-- _anybody_ \--else. You.. You know that, don’t you?” He asks, eyebrows creased.

Technoblade hums. “I’ve been betrayed by everyone in L’Manberg, The Badlands, and the Dream SMP. I don’t know much about friendship or things getting better. The only people who haven't betrayed me are you, Phil, and Dream." He scrunches his nose and leans against the wall, watching as Ranboo goes to make himself more soup. “I don’t know about trust.”

Ranboo frowns, “What do you know?”

“Men only betray Technoblade, eat hot chip, and lie.” He sneers.

Ranboo remembers Tommy’s betrayal. He wonders how Tommy’s doing for a moment, then decides that Tommy isn’t a friend.

_ Friends _

_ Tubbo _

_ Niki _

_ Fundy _

_ Quackity _

_ Technoblade _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter was a bit rushed because i have a bunch of hw to finish but i hope you liked it :)


	3. Act 1, Scene 3: Building a House

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ranboo finds a bunny. Techno questions said bunny. The bunny stays. Oh, and Ranboo built a house so that's good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> D: sorry for not posting in the past few days, it was my birthday yesterday so i wanted to spend time with my family (of course, i abided covid rules.)

“ Alright, Ranboo, get out of my house.” Technoblade sighs. “Go build your own house, I’m tired of you mooching off of me.”

Ranboo points at one of the many windows in Techno’s house. “It’s snowing.”

“Put on some armor!” Technoblade yells, “Build your own house! I have dogs to prepare for war!” He goes outside, pickaxe in hand.

Ranboo is too concerned with the dogs to put on his armor.

///

Technoblade is actually gone for quite a while when he leaves his house, Ranboo learns. The sky has stopped crying so Ranboo is now outside, building a small shack. Phil had come by a while ago and the two had arranged for building a kennel for the dogs and a house for him next to it. It’s not really a shack that he’s building, though; it’s more of a small fenced area with a roof over it. He’s happy with it. There’s a bed, furnace, crafting table, a double chest, a  _ secret _ double chest (that’s right, secret. Ranboo applauds himself for his smart thinking), and a small farm right outside the small shack. Ranboo is satisfied with the place. It’s not much, but it’s his house now.

He had actually found a bunny a while ago. He named him Ranbun, because of his white with black splotched fur.. They had seemed to be shivering, on the verge of death when Ranboo had found them. To help warm them up, he wrapped them up in his lanky arms and went inside Techno’s house.

Their feet dangle from where they’re laid in Ranboo’s arms. A small fire is going in the fireplace that Techno had installed recently (it was hard to start with his limited mobility), and Ranbun seems quite content with the warm temperature

Apparently, this is also when Techno decides to walk through the door. The piglin hybrid stops in his tracks, though, when he’s halfway through the door. Techno stares blankly, eyes flicking from Ranboo to the bunny. Ranboo shrinks in on himself just the tiniest bit.

After several seconds of silence, Techno speaks. “What is that?!” He doesn’t seem mad, just confused, “Why did you bring a bunny into my house?”

Ranboo perks up, smiling, and Ranbun’s nose twitches, “Their name is Ranbun!”

“That doesn’t explain why they’re in my house!” Techno yells. Ranboo flinches slightly at the loud voice. He doesn’t like loud voices, they startle him more than they probably should. 

“Sorry, I can take them back outside. I didn’t know you didn’t like bunnies.” He says, voice whispered and slightly distorted. 

Techno raises a pink eyebrow but doesn’t mention it. Instead, he pinches the bridge of his pig-like nose to the best of his ability and sighs. “It’s fine, Ranbun can stay. Just keep him out of my hair, got it?”

Ranboo nods enthusiastically. He could do that! (If he remembers, that is). Ranbun wiggles in his grip and, instinctively, Ranboo drops him. At first, he thinks that he injured Ranbun, but he’s disproved when they turn around and place a furry paw on his foot, soft and squishable face looking up at him.

He smiles and bends down to pick him up as Technoblade makes his way to the chests, opening them and placing stuff in them. “So, this bunny. Are they staying for long?” He asks, tusks catching on his lips. Ranboo has to fight a laugh that’s bubbling up from his chest at the sight of Techno. 

“Well,” He says when he’s sure he won’t laugh, “I was just going to keep them at my little shack and bring them in on the super cold days.”

Techno looks at him for a second and then nods. “That’s acceptable.” Ranboo smiles wide, profusely thanking his friend.

His smile disappears when he remembers how Tubbo always forced him to shelter his pets, never allowing Ranboo more than two of his own.

Techno raises one of his pink eyebrows again, noticing the rapid and drastic change in his neighbor’s demeanor. “Hey, Ranboo.” He says, hoping that catches the half-enderman’s attention. It does, slightly, so he continues talking, “Where’d you build your shack?”

Ranboo looks confused, but he answers nonetheless. “It’s by that mountain, where you’re going to put all your dogs. Since that’s what me and Philza agreed on a while ago.”

Techno looks out the window, eyes still blank and expression unreadable.

“Ranboo.” He starts, “That’s a fenced area with a roof.”

“I know.”

“That’s barely a house! It’s like a stable!” Techno stresses, continuing to stare in both bewilderment and confusion.

“I don’t know how many dogs you have and I certainly don’t want to take up a lot of room.” Ranboo argues back, smiling weakly. He’s found himself smiling a lot more out in the tundra than in L’Manberg, “If you need me to move it, I can.”

Technoblade gives Ranboo a weird look. Ranboo avoids eye contact with the other hybrid. “It’s fine. Just build a better house because that--” he points to the fenced area, “--is going to get you killed one day.”

Ranboo nods, the bunny wiggling in his arms. 

A welcomed silence falls upon the two. Ranbun is laid down on the floor, nose twitching every now and then.

After a couple more minutes of Ranboo staring at Ranbun, the bunny bounds over to Technoblade and rests a paw on his foot.

Techno looks down at the  _ much _ smaller animal before bending down to pick them up. 

Ranboo vaguely remembers how Tubbo would get mad at him. He doesn’t know why he remembers now, or  _ how  _ frankly, but he doesn’t like the feeling it gives him. In fact, he doesn’t even know why he’s thinking of Tubbo right now.

He wonders how Tubbo is doing, and then determines that Tubbo isn’t a friend.

_ Friends _

_ Niki _

_ Fundy _

_ Quackity _

_ Technoblade _


	4. Act 1, Scene 4: Techno Does Not Like Jungle Wood.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not only am I introducing Phil into the story, but I'm adding more angst into the story lmaoo

Philza shakes off his wings, snow plummeting to the ground. Ranboo perks up from his shack, his tall stature having him look down to see the older man. Phil smiles and Ranboo feels safe.

“Hey, Phil!” Ranboo smiles back, coming out of his shack. “How are you?”

“I’m good, I’m good.” Phil responds, “How about you, mate? How’re you doing?”

Ranboo gives his response. He finds conversations with Philza easy. He doesn’t know why, but he’s glad that he can find a sense of comfort in the winged man. 

Together, the two discuss the kennel’s layout some more. Ranboo had volunteered to help build it since he was, in fact, living just outside the designated area. 

There’s going to be two floors to the place, the first one to house the named dogs and the second floor to house the unnamed dogs. It was simple enough, they just needed the materials. 

“Should we use jungle wood?” Ranboo asked.

Phil gave him a questioning look. “Why would we use jungle wood?”

Ranboo smiled, “To make Techno mad.”

Phil gave a laugh and they set off into the Nether.

///

It took a few days, but eventually, the kennel was finished. It looks absolutely horrid, but by the gods does it make Techno mad when he sees it.

“What is that?” He yells, horrified. 

Ranboo smiles, “It’s the kennel! For the dogs!” 

Phil stands by, watching as Ranboo starts to explain the layout of the kennel. Technoblade listens intently, a dog trailing behind him and Ranboo shows him the first and second floors.

The entire time, Techno is staring at the horrid colors of the walls. Ranboo looks at him, “Is there something wrong, Techno?” He says, eyes pleading innocence.

“What did you do to the walls? Why are they made out of jungle wood? Why did you do this?”

“It could be Acacia.” Ranboo smiles.

“I hate you.”

“Phil’s the one who let me use jungle wood.” Ranboo shrugs, wobbly smile still on his face.

“I hate Phil.”

///

Phil watches Techno and Ranboo talk as he prepares dinner for the three of them. The two are chatting idly, Ranboo being extra careful as to not make eye contact with the piglin. Techno seems to be doing the same as well, which Phil finds sweet.

When dinner is done, Phil calls the two of them over and together they sit and talk. “So, Techno,” Phil starts. “How do you like the kennel Ranboo and I built?”

Techno looks at Phil, eyes empty. A bite taken out of the steak on his knife. Ranboo doesn’t understand why he doesn’t use a fork to eat his steak, but he doesn’t ask about it. “I hate you, Phil. How dare you allow Ranboo to use  _ jungle wood  _ to build my dogs’ kennel. How  _ dare _ you.”

Phil just laughs loudly. “Sorry, bud, but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity!”

Ranboo smiles as he chews on a piece of steak. He likes it here with Techno and Phil.

He vaguely remembers dinners with Tubbo, Fundy, Niki, and Quackity. They’d always end up arguing over something and dishes would get thrown. It wasn’t pleasant. He and Niki would always end up finishing their food Ranboo’s house, far away from the yelling of their friends.

He remembers that Fundy and Quackity would always start it, nagging each other about their past mistakes. At first it would be teasing, and then they would start raising their voices. The fox hybrid would strike a nerve within Quackity and that’s when the throwing plates and chalices and cups would get thrown. Tubbo would try to calm them down, but it hardly ever worked.

Then everyone else got involved. That’s when Niki and Ranboo left with their plates, making it out of the dining hall with hardly anything on their plate.

Quackity was always the first to throw a plate. Then Fundy threw his silver chalice with redstone embedded in it (he’s lucky it doesn’t break easily). Tubbo tried to stop them, but it didn’t always work.

“Hey, big guy?” Phil asks, shaking Ranboo from his thoughts. The half-enderman hadn’t even realized that Phil had been calling for him. He shook his head quickly before painting a smile on his face.

“Sorry, I spaced out for a second. Did you need something, Phil?”

Phil looks at him for a second. So does Techno. The two avoid eye contact with Ranboo (which he’s grateful for), and that’s when he notices that they’re done with their food.

How long had he been stuck in his own mind.

“Ranboo, you’re crying.” Techno states. Ranboo straightens his back and the two have to look up to see his face. The half-enderman quickly wipes his face. Phil shoots Techno a look. “What?” Techno raises a pink eyebrow. “He is.”

“Well, you didn’t have to say it like that!”

“How would you have said it then, Phil?”

Ranboo doesn’t hear the rest of their conversation. Their words are muffled as they argue. He wants it to stop. Why are they yelling, aren’t they friends? Was this Ranboo’s fault?

He abruptly gets up and walks out of the house, the two still arguing. It’s snowing but he doesn’t care. 

By the time he’s far enough, he realizes he’s brought the plate with him.

He’d been so used to fleeing dinner arguments with a plate of food that he hadn’t even realized that he brought it with him.

Ranboo sits down in the snow, the crying sky burning his skin (it makes a sizzling sound that he doesn’t quite like), and he eats his food. While he eats, he determines that Fundy is a bad friend.

_ Friends _

_ Niki _

_ Quackity _

_ Technoblade _

_ Philza _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i wrote this chapter while watching ranboo's mediashare stream, pls it took so long because i kept distracted hbsjdh
> 
> also i drank like a cup of pickle juice. im never going to get leg cramps again. i am god.
> 
> i hope you liked this chapter :D


	5. Act One, Scene Five: Who Are You?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Phil and Techno look for Ranboo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW - Anxiety/Panic Attack

“Ranboo!” Phil calls. Techno is doing the same. The snow had stopped a few minutes ago, but it looks like it was going to start up again soon if the stormy clouds were any indication. They had to be quick if they wanted to find Ranboo before he got hurt even more.

“C’mon, kid! It’s not  _ that _ hard to find booze!” A voice called, tone excruciatingly demanding.

Phil looked at Techno, one eyebrow raised in confusion. Techno seemed to be having the same thoughts because together they raced in the direction of the voice after a few seconds of silent, tense eye contact with each other.

The two older men found Ranboo looking around, as if confused. 

Frustrated tears welled up in Ranboo’s eyes. He couldn’t find his way to Techno’s place. And if he couldn’t find his way to Techno’s place, he couldn’t find his way to his place. That was a problem. That was a  _ big _ problem.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t remember where I live.” He said in defeat, sitting down in the snow. It stung a bit because he wasn’t wearing any armor. How was he supposed to live in the middle of nowhere if he couldn’t find his way back home?

The ghost stared at Ranboo, unamused. “Why not?”

Ranboo looked up at the ghost. “I have.. Memory issues.”

“Well, that’s stupid as fuck. Why don’t you just remember?” He said. Ranboo looked at him.

“Wow! That is such a  _ good idea _ ! Why didn’t I think of that earlier? It’s almost as if it  _ slipped my mind _ .”

Techno watched from behind a tree as Ranboo conversed with the ghost in the blue sweater and dark blue jeans. He had horns, like a ram. He looked familiar, his voice sounded familiar, too. Techno frowned as he watched the two talk. If only he could get a good look at the ghost’s face…

Phil still stared at Techno, though. He’s behind a tree, as well. He cleared his throat and called the half-enderman’s name again. “Ranboo!”

Techno watches intently as Ranboo looks up, eyes full of hope. Then, almost faster, the hope in his eyes is gone and replaced with a fearful look. “Oh my god, I’m going insane!” Ranboo yells. He curls his knees up to his chest quickly, biting back a yelp as the snow burns his skin. The ghost yells at him to get up. Ranboo buries his head in his knees, letting out a whimpered no.

Phil casts a worried glance to Techno before stomping in the snow to mimic someone walking. “Ranboo!” He calls again before walking away from the tree and towards the half-enderman. Ranboo tries to bury his head further into his knees. It works, because Ranboo doesn’t have a spine (which Techno finds  _ horrifying _ ).

The winged man slowly walks up the Ranboo, cautious of the blue-sweatered ghost hovering around his neighbor. “Ranboo,” He whispers, lowering his voice in an attempt to comfort the panicking boy.

Ranboo shakes his head no. He hisses at the sting of his tears against his face. His tears hurt more than regular water. Ranboo isn’t sure why, but he assumes that it’s because of his heritage. Phil has to physically move the half-enderman’s face to let him know that he’s not going crazy.

Only then, when Phil is wiping away his tears and whispering comforting words in his ear, does he start to calm down. He feels safe in Phil’s hands. He’s not sure why. Perhaps it’s because Philza is the first to ask for friendship and not an ally. He doesn’t spend too much time worrying, instead allowing himself to be picked up by someone.

The ghost clad in blue follows behind, floating alongside the man carrying Ranboo.

“So.” Techno says, adjusting Ranboo in his arms, “You’re Schlatt’s ghost, right?”

“Obviously, fuckface.” Ghost-Schlatt rolls his eyes, unamused by Techno’s questions. 

“Where’d you find the kid?” Techno asks. Ghost-Schlatt shrugs, causing the piglin hybrid to groan in annoyance. For a moment, he wonders if it’s possible to kill a ghost.

///

Ranboo can vaguely register the door to Techno’s place opening and when he’s gently set on the couch. He can hear hushed whispers from across the room. He hadn’t realized how tired he was until he had been placed on the couch.

“...Like..son..” He heard Phil’s whispers. “..He’s not..”

Then Techno was shouting. “I know! I know he’s not!” Then he’s quiet again. His voice was soft-spoken and broken. “I know he’s not my son.”

He can sort of see Phil patting Technoblade on the shoulder before he’s walking out the door. The ghost looks at Technoblade.

“Memory boy is awake.”

Technoblade turns around quickly, ignoring the way a tear fell down his pink-tinted face. Ranboo turns his head so that he’s no longer facing the ceiling of Techno’s house, and instead he’s watching the piglin hybrid make his way over to him.

Edward makes a noise of concern in the corner. For Technoblade or for Ranboo, he can’t begin to guess.

Techno sits on the edge of the couch, reaching a hand up to Ranboo’s forehead to check the half-enderman’s temperature.

Everything would be okay.

Hopefully.

_ Friends _

_ Niki _

_ Quackity _

_ Technoblade _

_ Philza _


	6. Act 1, Scene 6: NEVER LEAVE: ???

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Technoblade and Ranboo talk for a bit. Ranboo writes something down in his book.

Techno frowned as he felt the heat of Ranboo’s forehead against his head. He had a fever. He looked at Ghost-Schlatt for a few seconds before telling him to go find Phil. The ghost in blue went after seeing the more-than-evident worry on the piglin hybrid’s face.

Ranboo groans and opens his closed eyes. He doesn’t remember closing them. “Techno?” He whispers. “Techno, it’s hot in here.”

“Phil’s on his way, kid. Don’t worry.” Techno supplied. He wasn’t going to let the kid know that he was worried about him. Because he wasn’t. Technoblade was not worried about a kid he’s known for all of one week. Nope, not at all. “He’ll take care of you. He’s much better at this than I ever will be.” 

Ranboo shakes his head. Techno gives him a confused look. “What do you mean ‘no’?” He asks. Ranboo, once again, shakes his head. “Do you.. Want food?”

_ No. _

“What do you need?” Ranboo lifts a finger and twirls it around absent-mindedly. “Write? Do you need to write?” Ranboo nods, tears gathering in his eyes again for the upteenth time. Techno lets out a noise and turns around, wary not to accidentally make eye contact with either Ranboo or Edward. 

He returns shortly with a book and quill, the words ‘Do No Read’ printed in big letters on the front. Ranboo quickly takes it from the piglin’s hybrid hands, sitting up just as quickly and tearing the book open and flipping to the fifth page.

His hand is writing quickly and Technoblade manages to catch a glimpse of the book before it's closed. 

_ NEVER LEAVE!!! _

_ TECHNOBLADE _

Ranboo asks for some food and Techno makes him some warm soup.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the short chapter, i haven't been feeling well lately but i wanted to give y'all something nice :)


	7. Act 1, Scene 7: Water

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Techno, Phil, and Ranboo have a talk.
> 
> Oh, and Ghostbur and Glatt are there too, I guess.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Self-harm, Mentions of self-harm
> 
> please don't read this chapter if you don't like that sort of stuff or if you're easily triggered by it

Phil arrives shortly after Ranboo finishes eating, Ghostbur and Ghost-Schlatt following behind, conversing with each other. “Is Ranboo okay? Glatt told me he woke up!” He looked like a worried grandpa. Techno found this fact amusing, but didn’t show it. 

“He’s fine. He’s already eaten some soup. He’s taking a bath right now with the least amount of water I’ve ever seen in my life.” Phil nodded, relaxing. It’s quiet for a few moments between the two, the only noise being Ghostbur and Glatt talking to each other.

“So you’re telling me..” Glatt starts, “That you don’t fuckin’ remember me? You literally beat the shit out of me once.” Ghostbur shrugs, apologizing. “Well, that’s just fucking great.” The one in blue grumbled, crossing his arms as he leaned back against the air, one leg resting on the other leg’s knee.

///

When Ranboo comes out of the bathroom, there’s burns on his hands and legs. Techno looks at him for half a second from his spot on the couch and then, almost quicker, he’s pulling Ranboo to the couch and inspecting the burns. “You’ve gotta stop doing this, kid. You’re gonna end up killing yourself one day.”

“Sorry.” 

“Don’t apologize. It’s probably a habit. Those are hard to break,”

Ranboo nods. 

Silence falls between the five of them. Ranboo likes the quiet, it’s much different from how it was in L’Manberg and he doesn’t have to fear forgetting too much. In fact, he’s been remembering more things since he’s been here. He remembers finer details, like helping Technoblade move some villagers into his basement.

Then, Technoblade is speaking again. “How did this habit start? The sooner we figure that out, the more we can help stop it.”

Ranboo thinks for a moment. He thinks he wrote that down, he believes. He pulls away from Techno’s grip to grab his book and he flips through to the third page.

_ Quackity told me to do something to take my mind off of stressful things. _

_ What is easy to do? _

_ Water is nice :) _

The enderman hybrid is hesitant to reply once he’s found the answer. He doesn’t want Techno or Phil to be mad at him. Or Ghostbur or Glatt. 

Because if someone’s mad, then someone will yell. Ranboo doesn’t like yelling, his ears are far more sensitive than regular human ears. He’s not too sure why they are, he assumes that it has to do with his other half.

Technoblade can see the way that Ranboo is hesitant to answer. He can see the worry in his eyes so he looks at Phil for help. Phil takes one of Ranboo’s hands and smiles, “We won’t be mad at you, Ranboo. We’re here to help you.”

Ghostbur nods. Glatt shrugs. Technoblade  _ really _ wants to punch that blue-clad ghost. 

They fall back into silence but this time, it’s strained. They can tell that Ranboo is trying to work up the courage to tell them how the terrible habit started. “Quackity told me I should do something to take my mind off of everything. The water seemed like a good way to do that. It worked, so I just kept doing it.”

Tears had gathered in his eyes. They were threatening to spill, threatening to leave more marks on his face.

“Ranboo…” Techno starts, his eyes wide. “That’s.. That’s not healthy. That’s not  _ good. _ ” Ranboo nods in understanding. He knows that burning himself isn’t healthy or good or okay, but it distracted him. It was a way to distract himself from everything that stressed him out.

Except for the fact that the burns stressed him out, too.

Techno stood up, eyes dark. “Quackity told you to do this, you said?”

Ranboo nodded. “Not the water part. He just.. told me to do something to take my mind away from the stressful duties of being Tubbo’s right-hand man…”

The piglin hybrid raised an eyebrow, “So you decided to hurt yourself?”

Ranboo nodded again. 

“Alright. Here’s what we’re gonna do,” Techno said. He had to think quickly. “Whenever you get stressed, do something helpful. Like.. petting the dogs. They seem to like you.” Ranboo nods, not trusting his voice. 

Ghostbur gives a worried smile as he hands Ranboo some blue. “Thanks..”

Phil smiles, “We’ll work on this together, alright? You don’t have to go through it alone.”

///

The world seems so small. Had it always been like that?

Ranboo watches as Ghostbur and Glatt talk. The one in blue is talking quite loudly, about being a landlord. He’s heard stories about Schlatt, but he’s never seen the man in person. Or.. the ghost? 

“What’s it like.. Dying? For the last time, y’know?” He asks. The question had been in the back of his mind for a few minutes, and with Techno and Phil gone looking for something, he was free to ask whatever he wanted without their worrying looks.

“It hurts.” Ghostbur supplies, “When Phil stabbed me, it was worse than anything I’d experienced. Of course, I’d died before, but it was nothing like when I was stabbed.” His voice echoed across the room but didn’t quite bounce off the walls. Ranboo nodded.

Glatt frowned, “It’s like a searing pain tearing through your body.” He says, “You know what happens, know when it’s your final life. It’s a terrible experience. Stay alive, kiddo. It’s less painful that way.”

“The perks of being a ghost suck, anyways.” Glatt adds. “Can’t even phase through the fucking walls. That’s pretty shit.”

Ranboo laughs. “You can fly, though. That’s pretty cool.”

“If I wanted to fly while I was alive, I could’ve just gotten a piggyback ride from you, tall ass.”

“No offense, but I think you’d be too heavy for me.”

“None taken.” Glatt waves it off, “Does Technoblade have any whiskey here?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never seen any.” Ranboo shrugs. Ghostbur looks between the two before putting in his two cents. “Downstairs, in the bottom left chest.” Glatt smirks and then he’s gone.

Ranboo looks at Ghostbur. “Is there really alcohol down there?” Ghostbur laughs and shakes his head no.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you all for the kind messages!! you all make sure you're taking care of yourself, too :)  
> y'all are so sweet and i love receiving comments, they always brighten my day


	8. Act 1, Scene 8: Spread Your Wings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Techno talks with Quackity.
> 
> Ranboo has to intervene somehow..

Ranboo watches intently as Techno talks with Quackity, who is shirtless. And pantless.

The strange man is adorning only a pair of boxers, his diamond yeezys, and his trademark smile. Ranboo had always found the man weird, but he welcomed that weirdness with a smile. Quackity’s golden wings were small, very much unlike their usual size, as if he’d been plucking out the feathers. Ranboo’d have to tell Phil about that.

Quackity’s smile didn’t seem to reach his eyes anymore, and his hair was unruly and stringy. He looked like he wasn’t taking care of himself. Was everything okay back in L’Manberg? Should he go back with Quackity to make sure he’s okay? 

Is there anything he can do to help?

A scream drew him out of his thoughts. He shook his head, since his vision had been getting pretty blurry. When his eyes had finally focused, he saw Quackity and Techno dueling it out.

With Quackity.. In the lead? How was Quackity  _ winning _ ?

It didn’t matter. What mattered was that Techno was losing, and that Ranboo had to do something to help. But what could he do? Ranboo couldn’t just run into a fight, that’d be stupid and careless.

What was something that would cause minimal damage to everyone involved?

He doesn’t know.

The only thing he could do was intervene, but he doesn’t want to hurt anyone else (or himself, for that matter).

However, it was the only option. Before he could talk himself out of it, his body was moving on its own. From Techno’s porch to a bit in front of Carl’s pen.

Ranboo doesn’t know what he’s doing. His body feels like it’s moving on its own, like he’s not in his body. 

Quackity’s sword is clanging with Techno’s, Techno’s foot sliding in the snow. Quackity has an evil smile on his face, and that’s when Ranboo shoves him out of the way. 

Techno stumbles forward as Quackity and Ranboo fall to the snowy ground.

A gasp is heard as red seeps into the pearly white snow.

_ Friends _

_ Niki _

_ Technoblade _

_ Philza _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for another short chapter D: i have an essay to write and homework to catch up on, so I haven't been able to write as much recently!!


	9. Act 1, Scene Nine: Unhinged

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ranboo...?

Quackity looked at Ranboo, eyes wide, as blood spilled from his wound.

Technoblade just stared from his place on the ground, surprised and maybe a bit proud, with a hint of fear.

Ranboo got on his knees, ignoring the way his skin hissed as it made contact with the snow. His eyed had a more green tint to them and his finger had turned into unruly claws that looked like they hadn’t been trimmed in years. His ears had gotten longer and hid mouth now stretched from mid-cheek to mid-cheek.

Quackity looked at him with nothing but fear in his eyes, a hand pressed on hid wound to try and surpresd the bleeding.

“What the fuck?” He whispered. “What the  _ fuck _ ?!” He then yelled, voice loud.

“I’m sorry..” Ranboo muttered, “I didn't mean to. No... I didn't mean to!” His claws dug into the ground and he winced “But you did it anyways.. You did it, it’s always you doing something bad.”

Techno watched with pity in his eyes as the scene continued. Ranboo’s muttering didn't cease as Quackity scrambled backwards and towards Techno’s cottage. A trail of blood followed.

As quick as the scene started, it was over.

Giant, phantom-like wings that were torn for the worse covered Ranboo. A green-and-white bucket hat sat atop a blond head, kind eyes looking at the unhinged hybrid and a comforting hand reaching forward to grasp a clawed one. Snow still sizzled as Ranboo’s claws tore into Phil’s soft and pliable hands. He didn’t mean to hurt him, he swears. He doesn’t even know what’s happening. 

Ranboo’s seeing everything through green-tinted eyes. The only thing he can really make out of a cowering Quackity from a hole in Phil’s wings.

He looks so scared…

_ Did I do that to him? _ He asks himself as he watches Techno slowly approach the duck hybrid and inspect his still-bleeding wound. 

He hadn’t meant to hurt him, he just wanted to help Techno. He just wanted to protect his friend.. He hadn’t meant to hurt Quackity! He swears!

Phil gives him a smile, not even paying attention to the way blood spills from wear Ranboo’s clawed hands are digging into his skin out of panic. “Hey, kiddo? Can you hear me?” The old man asks. Ranboo could barely hear it, but he still nods. 

He doesn't know what’s happening. He’s scared, probably more so than Quackity.

///

When Phil finally gets him to calm down, his claws are back to being lanky fingers and his mouth looks that of a regular enderman hybrid’s. His ears were shorter, too, back to how they oringinally were. 

Quackity is laying on the couch, his feet propped up on Ranboo’s lap. His eyes lay closed as he rests, a bandage around his side where Ranboo had torn into his skin and oversized clothes on his body. Edward speaks approvingly to the enderman hybrid, a proud gleam in his purple eyes. 

Techno is laying on the floor against his chests, skull mask adorning his face. Phil is tending to the wound on his hands, as well as cleaning the blood off of the floor, Ranboo’s clothes, and Ranboo himself.

“We’re not mad at you.” Phil speaks. “Quackity might be, but I’m sure he’ll understand if you explain it to him.”

Ranboo nods numbly. He doesn't remember much about what happened, due to the stress he had been experiencing during that time. He’s still pretty out of it, too, probably seconds away from passing out. He’d over exerted himself and his body needed to heal from the extensive morphing of his body.

“Not gonna lie, it was pretty cool, Ranboo.” Techno butts in, a small smile of victory on his face. His shoulder has been wrapped up from where Quackity managed to get a hit on the piglin hybrid. “You were speaking End pretty fluently, too..”

Ranboo looks at Techno. He didn’t think he’d known how to speak End fluently. Sure, he talks to Edward, but he doesn’t know that much about the language...

There’s so much more to himself that he doesn't know. How didn’t he know he could speak another language fluently? Isn’t that something vital to someone’s knowledge, especially if their heritage is of that language, or at least speaks it? 

How long had he known End Speak in such a fluid and manneristic way? Was it just something trivial that he said or was it complicated? He had so many questions but such little information to go off of.

Phil waves a hand in front of Ranboo’s face. “Buddy? You’re spacing out again. Everything okay?”

Ranboo nods, apologizing for spacing out. Techno and Phil wave it off, understanding that he’s out of it and that he needs time to recover from such a terrible episode.

They sit in a comfortable silence for a while; however, it’s broken when Quackity shoots up and clutches his injured side. He’s gasping for breath and Ranboo has half a mind to not bother him and let Phil handle it.

Immediately, Phil is by his side and trying to calm him down. Quackity’s breaths are unsteady and labored, working to heave as much air into his lungs as possible.

Ranboo carefully moves the duck hybrid’s feet off of his lap and goes to sit next to Techno. Techno gives a nod of acknowledgment and they sit in silence, watching as Phil tries to calm Quackity down.

_ Unsure _

_ Quackity _

_ Friends _

_ Niki _

_ Technoblade _

_ Philza _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> did i write this instead if doing my homework?
> 
> yes.


	10. Act 1, Scene 10: Escucha esta conción, cierra los ojos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quackity speaks of a lost one who may not be so lost anymore.
> 
> ~~~  
> I would like to thank my brain for this chapter, very pog.  
> Spanish translations will be in the end notes :D   
> (The title of this chapter is "Give this song another listen, close your eyes" (from Hey There, Delilah by the Plain White T's respectively :)).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> pls take this chapter, i'm having a bit of a burn out, but i should be back on track by at least valentine's day !! :]

Quackity stared at the ring on his finger, silent. He’d never been this quiet in his life, as far as Techno could recall. The quiet man fiddled with his ring.

If he remembers correctly, the ring was one that held a great promise from Schlatt. Techno never learned what the promise was, he’d never bothered to ask, but it obviously meant a lot to the usually-boisterous man.

Well, he assumes it means a lot, especially if the way he took it off Schlatt’s corpse with delicate and shaking fingers is any indication of the ring’s importance.

“I’m sorry.” Ranboo says, “I didn’t mean it.. it’s just- you hurt Techno.”

Quackity lets out a huff. “He hurt me.”

Techno sighs. Ranboo continues talking. “There’s a reason he hurt you. You, Quackity, retaliated by harm when you should've talked it out. What if I had killed you?”

“I’d come back with a reason to kill you.”

“You’re stubborn.”

“You almost killed me.” Quackity retorts. He slips the ring back onto his ring finger. It’s much too big, Techno has no idea how it stays on. Ranboo chuckled. “I guess I did, huh?” Quackity smiles. He doesn’t seem as afraid of the half-enderman anymore.

Perhaps he understands now.

Techno thinks that’s too far fetched, but it doesn’t hurt to think that. 

It’s quiet before anyone else talks. Phil is out getting some stuff from the village nearby, though Techno thinks that that was just an excuse to get out of the awkward situation. He’d noticed that Phil had been getting worse at comforting people, especially people in groups of three or more.

Ranboo speaks up again. “Your ring, the oversized one--it used to be Schlatt’s, right? Sorry if I’m overstepping, but I’ve been curious about it for, like, a while.” He chuckles nervously and wrings his hands together. Techno takes note of the way Ranboo's fingers flex, and the way he's staring at Edward's grass block.

Quackity’s smile turns to one of yearning as he thinks about the memories of him and Schlatt. They hadn’t been in love--just engaged for the sake of taxes that Schlatt himself had implemented. They were, however, best friends. They’d done just about everything together, right up until Schlatt had died from his own shit habits.

He nods. “Yeah, it was Schlatt’s.”

Many people in the SMP and in L’Manberg don’t know this, but Schlatt spoke spanish pretty fluently. Whenever they were in their shared apartment or alone, they’d go back and forth in spanish, talking about whatever they felt like. Sometimes they’d stay up late just to talk in Quackity’s native language. It was comforting to the duck hybrid, to have someone to talk to in spanish with. 

( _ “¡Hola, guapito!” Schlatt shouted as he entered the house, “Estoy en casa!” _

_ The nicknames were normal for them. They’d been using the cute endearing terms for… for forever, if Quackity’d have to guess. “¡Hola, novio! ¿Terminaste el papeleo?“ _

_ “Sí, sí. ¡Sal de mi espalda sobre eso!” His words were slurred and it had been obvious that he was drinking earlier. Quackity smiled at his platonic fiancé and pulled out a back of takeout. “¿Pensé que estabas cocinando esta noche?” _

_ Quackity gave him a deadpanned look. “Marido, son las tres de la maldita mañana. ¿De verdad crees que voy a meter el culo en esa cocina para hacer tacos?” _

_ Schlatt just laughed and they ate their shitty takeout tacos, talking about everything and nothing.) _

Somehow, they’d gotten to talking about Schlatt and Quackity’s relationship. Ranboo listened intently as Quackity talked about how he and Schlatt would sometimes go and sit under a tree, guitar in the usually-sober one’s hand, and then the surprisingly-sober one singing a careful tune. He talked about how they’d talk in spanish for hours, late into the night, and then regret staying up because they had governmental duties to attend to (Techno lets the mention of a government slide because it’s not going to be there for long if he has any say in it). 

Ranboo listens the entire time, nodding along and asking questions where he gets confused. Phil comes back after a while and together they all talk about past relationships.  _ Bonding, y’know? _

_ Friends _

_ Quackity _

_ Niki _

_ Technoblade _

_ Philza _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The translations, as promised (I might've butchered the translations a bit, please bear with me lmao):
> 
> Hola, guapito - Hello, (my little) handsome  
> Estoy en casa - I'm home  
> Hola, novio. ¿Terminaste el papeleo? - Hello, boyfriend. Did you finish the paperwork  
> Sí, sí. Sal de mi espalda sobre eso - Yes, yes. Get off my back about it.  
> Pensé que estabas concinado esta noche - I thought you were cooking tonight  
> Marido, son las tres de la maldita mañana. ¿De verdad crees que voy a meter el culo en esa cocina para hacer tacos? - Husband, it is three in the damn morning. Do you really think I'm going to haul ass in the kitchen to make tacos


	11. Act 1, Scene 11: Axe of ??? (Part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ranboo thinks of how to repay Techno for his kindess

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is, quite possibly, the shortest chapter I'v ever written. im so sorry shbsjh

The duck hybrid left with a pep in his step and a cool ass scar to show off. Ranboo smiled, happy that he was able to still call Quackity a friend, and (by the Antarctic-Tundra law) that meant that Phil and Techno were obligated to let Quackity come over every now and again.

“Ranboo,” Techno starts, “You’ve seemed stressed lately. Why?”

Leave it to Techno to get straight to the point. Ranboo smiled, “It’s nothing! I’m probably still worked up from leaving L’Manberg!”

Techno raises a pink eyebrow but says nothing. Phil pets a dog in the distance, humbly ignoring Techno and Ranboo’s conversation. They needed to be fed.

Together, Ranboo and Techno chop down a few logs to help make a barn of some new animals, Ranboo with a netherite ace and Technoblade with a diamond axe. Ranboo takes one look at his friend’s axe and immediately takes out his notebook, writing something down in it. Techno eyes him curiously for a few seconds before he goes back to chopping down a few trees.

///

_ Axe of ??? _

_ Mending _

_ Fortune III _

_ Looting II _

_ Silk Touch _

_ Efficiency IV _

Ranboo nodded to himself and stuffed his memory book back into his inventory, a small smile on his face as he thought about when the best time to go netherite hunting was. Perhaps at night, when Techno was sleeping?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> another short chapter, i'm so incredibly sorry!! power is gone where i live so i have to update this on my phone, which has limited charge because the small powerbank we have is dead. i hope you liked this chapter, and there'll be a super long one the second power comes back!! :)
> 
> i love you all and hope you all take care <3


	12. Act 1, Scene 12: Bonding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ranboo learns about Piglins.

#  “Hey, Ranboo?” He asked, pig nose scrunching at the attempt of letting out a sneeze that never came, breaking the short silence they’d fallen into, “When Quackity was here, I’d noticed that you kept looking at Edward. Why?”

Ranboo stops for a second to think, and then he’s being dragged by Phil to help tend to the many pets of the tundra that he’s slowly starting to call home. Techno follows behind with four stacks of spruce logs to add to the fire (Phil convinced the duo to have a campfire tonight, where they could tell stories and the likes).

“I don’t know.” He says, voice not once wavering as it usually would when he said those words. “Habit, maybe? Edward is someone that I can look in the eye.”

“Look in the eye?” Techno asks. Ranboo nods, letting out a small  _ mhm _ . 

“Since we both have endermen blood, we can look each other in the eyes! We can’t make eye contact for too long, though, or else Edward will get mad.” Ranboo explained. Techno hums in acknowledgement. “Of course, eye contact is still widely uncomfortable for enderman and enderman hybrids, but it’s not as severe as it would be with someone who's not an enderman.”

Techno nods as he realizes that he knows very little about hybrids that aren’t of piglin, racoon, or phantom lineage. He’d had to read up on other hybrids and their needs, if Ranboo was going to continue living with both him and Phil. He thinks he has a few books about hybrids either with Karl or in his basement--he’ll have to check soon.

“What about Piglin hybrids? What are they like? You’re the first one I’ve met and I can’t remember anything I’ve read about them except for the fact that they like gold,” Ranboo asks as he hands a dog a piece of rotten flesh. Techno starts chopping the wood into smaller planks while Phil is off tending to some zombie villagers that they’d managed to save a while back. 

“Gold helps relax piglins, hybrid or not. It’s like..” Techno searches for the right words, “Like a comfort item. It helps with the voices in their head. Every piglin has voices, even hybrids. Some aren’t as severe as others. Like Chat, for example. They aren't as bad as a pureblood Piglin’s voices. It’s why most piglin hybrids you meet will seem a lot more domestic-like and laid back than piglins you’ll find in the nether.” Techno supplies. Ranboo nods and hands another piece of rotten flesh to another dog, watching as the dog’s tail wags happily. 

Techno scrambles his head for more things to talk about. Piglins are fairly simple creatures--give them gold and they’ll give you something back. A fair trade. Piglin hybrids aren’t like phantom hybrids or racoon hybrids or enderman hybrids. They’re vastly different (really, every hybrid is different but they usually have similar qualities. Piglins don’t really have this comfort of being similar to other hybrids. It’s what sets them apart from the others, it’s what has labeled piglin hybrids as blood-seeking monsters. 

It’s what labeled Technoblade as the Blood God, his primal urge to survive and adapt to new places. His primal urge to attack anyone that tried to hurt him. 

Technoblade hadn't been on the lucky side of the hybrid mainframe. He’d been born with the ability to shift between a more human-looking form of himself as well as a more piglin looking version of himself. With this, he also has nearly twice the amount of voices that the average hybrid would have. He had tusks stained with blood from the various battles he’s been in. He has scars on his body that add to his inhumand title and he’s blind in one eye. He has copious amounts of trauma that he’s still working through to this day. Technoblade has been to hell and back, both literally and metaphorically, and he still isn't sure about what piglin hybrids do that’s unique. 

Sure, they can fight and attack on sight, but other than that their only main attribute is trading for a bar of gold.

Techno tells Ranboo as such, tk which the half-enderman takes the information in stride, writing it down as it flows from the piglin hybrid’s mouth to Ranboo’s ears.

“Piglin hybrids aren't really special. They’re seen as brutes and monsters. They’re given much criticism that they’re almost forced to be perfect. It’s rare that you’ll see a piglin hybrid that isn’t standing straight or trying to keep their tusks neat and shiny. What you will find, Ranboo, is piglin hybrids holding a gold item in their hands or on their clothes.”

Ranboo nods and when he finishes writing, he’s putting away his notebook. He takes to feeding the dogs again and Techno continues chopping the wood.

Soon, Phil is talking to Ranboo. It’s nothing of much importance, just simplicities and kind words, but Ranboo finds his heart warming from the unusual gesture. Sure, he’s been complimented before, but Phil talks to him like he’s  _ proud  _ of him. It fills Ranboo with a sense of safety and home that he doesn’t think he’s felt before. 

As quietly as he can, he reaches into his pocket to grab his notebook. He still had things to remember, whether he was in L’Manberg or not. A smile graces his slender face and he writes down the most vital of information. 

_ NEVER LEAVE _

_ Techno blade _

_ Phil _

_ FRIENDS _

_ Niki _

_ Quackity _

_ STAY AWAY _

_????? _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is part of the Axe of ??? :)
> 
> And who is Ranboo staying away from?? Is it Dream? Or maybe it’s Tommy?
> 
> I manages to hook myself up to a local hotspot, so I can update a bit of a longer chapter without fear of my internet getting cut-off while I either add tags or write the chapter name!! Still without power for the most part, though. It’s slowly coming back, however! So cheers to that!
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I’m quite proud of it, especially considering the fact that power is at a max of six hours so far. See you in the next chapter, stay safe you all! <3


	13. Act 1, Scene 13: The Axe of ??? (Part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "This is just rent."
> 
> Ranboo can see through his words and a beaming smile splays across his face, "Oh, yeah no! Just rent!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> woa os this what k tjinl it is?? a ong chapter??
> 
> i had to look up the anatomy of an axe for this lmaoo

Ranboo wiped the sweat off his brow, black jacket tossed off to the side on top of a chest. The heat from the nether just gets hotter the deeper you go down, making Ranboo’s suit a.. not-so-great outfit for the nether. 

Before he continued mining, he rolled up his sleeves to the best of his ability and pushed his hair back with a hand. Ranboo mined through netherrack, quartz, and gold. Netherite was rare, even more so in the Dream SMP because everyone uses netherite armor and weapons (except Quackity and Ponk, Ranboo thinks).

He thinks he sees a twitching ear out the corner of his eye, but he shakes it off and continues about his business.

///

Ranboo returns to Technoblade’s house almost a week later, battered and bruised and beyond tired, but he’s still so happy despite that. Phil tends to his burns while Ranboo talks about his plan—give Technoblade a new axe. Phil tells him that it’s a good idea and even pitches some of his own ideas about the design and wrap of the axe. Ranboo smiles and thanks him for the ideas and treating his burns. 

“Bad news, Phil. I lost the kid,” Technoblade says as he walks through the door a few minutes after silence. 

“Can’t lose a kid that was never lost, Techno.” The phantom hybrid chuckles. “Where were you looking for him anyways?”

Technoblade is quiet for a few seconds and then he responds, in a hushed voice that's so unlike his usual demanding and powerful one: “L’Manberg..”

Ranboo’s eyes widened. Techno had gone to L’Manberg to look for him? The piglin hybrid, guilty of treason and multiple others acts of anarchy or terrorism, walked into that land to look for him. He walked into L’Manberg knowing that he had the chance of being executed on sight, and without remorse, no less!

“They said they hadn’t seen him in weeks.”

_ Oh shit. _

///

“So let me get this straight: you left L’Manberg in the dead of night to come and live with us, even though you knew that we might not have even let you stay here?” Phil raises an eyebrow, hands clasps together as he tries to make something out of the story Ranboo had told them.

Ranboo nodded, his long and pointed ears flattened out to the side moreso than they usually were. Were they going to kick him out now? He didn’t have anywhere else to go and he didn’t want to go back to L’Manberg. He would die if he went back to L’Manberg, especially now that they knew that he was staying with two people that were considered traitors ( ~~they were protecting themselves~~ ). 

Tears seemed to gather in his eyes. Where would he go if Technoblade and Phil kicked him out? He supposes he could stay on the outskirts of L’Manberg, or with Niki, but he actually liked it here. 

He knew he shouldn’t have done something so brash and last-minute. He shouldn’t have gotten so comfortable so quickly. How could he have been so stupid? To allow himself to fall into such a comfortable pattern of waking up and spending time with the duo? Maybe he should just leave before they kick him out, that would spare them the stress of having to break the news to the enderman hybrid.

Ranboo goes to stand up, muttering a small  _ sorry.  _

Phil holds a hand to Ranboo’s chest, a confused look in his eyes with his eyebrowd drawn together, “Where’re you going?”

Ranboo stops for a second. “I’m.. leaving? I'm not going to be living here anymore, I'll be out of your hair by dawn. I've overstayed my welcome and I'll be back in L'Manberg to tend to the duties I've neglected?” He says, ignoring the way it comes out as a question.

Technoblade tries to hid a frown that threatens to show. “You’re not leaving.” He says, “You’re staying here because I don’t trust those  _ government officials  _ in L’Manberg.”

“I used to be one of those government officials, Techno.” Ranboo supplies. Techno shrugs, which leaves Phil chuckling. 

///

They’d talked it out, and Ranboo was staying. The stone brick walls of his house are much more comforting now that he knows he won’t be leaving anytime soon and that he won't be asked to leave in the near future, for what he could tell.

Sweat drips down his temples as he works on the Netherite axe, a signed notebook laying on a chest near the door. The enchants are etched delicately onto the handle, going below the white gripping wrap, and emerging below it. There’s a beautiful golden yellow dust highlighting them. The purple glow that signifies enchantment of a weapon illuminates the room, just as any enchanted item would. Where the shoulder of the axe sits lays a strand of gold, which had been delicately woven into place throughout the entire weapon. It weaves from the cheek to the handle and the handle to the belly. It’s beautiful and Ranboo can’t help but be proud of what he’s made. 

He goes downstairs, into the carved out portion of the house, and searches through the chests for something he’s sure that Technoblade doesn’t have: Pigstep. 

At least, he hopes that Techno doesn’t have it. He hasn’t seen it in any of the chests or item frames, and he doesn’t think that Techno would put it in his enderchest. 

It’s the dead of night, the moon casting a soft gaze upon the world, as Ranboo opens his door and is met with a foxy face. 

“Fundy,” he greets meekly. He didn’t know where Fundy stood in regards to familiarity (a not-so-satsifying perk of having terrible memory), but he’d be damned if he didn’t get a weird and brutal-like feeling around the fox hybrid.

“Hello, Ranboo. It’s nice to see you.” 

Fundy returns the favor of being cold, but Ranboo can’t be bothered to care when the only thing he wants to do is push Fundy aside and book it to Techno and Phil’s place, where he knows he’ll be safe; however he strains a smile and says, “I’m good! How are you?”

Fundy stares at him, eyes dark and his expression unamused, “Oh, just the usual. Wondering why Tubbo’s right-hand man is  _ siding  _ with the man who killed him,”

Ranboo feels ashamed of himself. He wasn’t siding with anybody—he just wanted a place to feel safe. So what if that place was with a convicted-of-arson piglin hybrid and a 32 year old runaway? L’Manberg wasn’t a safe place, not with the looming threat of Dream and the power others don’t realize he holds. 

Fundy puts his hands in his pocket, shivering slightly from the cold of the tundra biome. “What’s it like being a traitor, Ranboo? Does it feel good?”

“Shut your mouth, Fundy. You don’t know anything.” Ranboo finally snarls. Who was.. Who was Fundy to tell him stuff that he already knew? Who was Fundy to tell him the things that plagued his thoughts everyday?

Fundy laughs. An ugly, chaotic laugh that would’ve had anyone else thinking that he was Wilbur if it weren’t for his drastically different accent. “I don’t? Let me tell you a story, Ranboo.” He takes his hands out of his pocket and walks towards half-enderman boy, causing them both to be in the now not-so-comforting warmth of Ranboo’s house. 

“Once, there was a boy. Let’s call him Randy, yeah? He was… half-piglin, half-who knows what. He was given the opportunity to hold power. Great power.” Fundy chuckles and swipes a flawed hand down his face. His hair is disheveled and his eyes hold a crazy look in them. He looks two seconds away from taking out his sword and driving through someone’s stomach—who’s stomach, Ranboo doesn’t know.

He continues with his story, though. “He took the offer. He was happy, or so others would assume. He followed around the.. higher-powered official for weeks. Maybe two months, at the least. Randy carried around this stupid little notebook because he had shitty memory and everyone had to play  _ nice _ because the higher-up told them to.

“Now, you may find this story familiar, but I’m not done. There’s more.” Fundy spits. Rage burns behind his eyes in a consuming fire.

“For two months, Randy was buddy-buddy with everyone in their little country. For two months, Randy fooled everyone in that little country. And then, they left. Randy got up in the middle of the night and left everyone for a couple of measly low-lifes with nothing better to do than harm others.”

Fundy took a breath. “Does that sound familiar?”

“That sounds like you.” A voice from behind said. “Honestly, when are you goin’ to learn? Don’t come near the tundra. It’s not suited for foxes.”

Fundy turns around just in time to be met with a sword in his stomach. “God, I hate that guy.” Techno frowns. “He’s always doin’ somethin’ around here to bother us.”

Ranboo stared at Techno, eyes wide. He just killed Fundy. Technoblade just… killed Fundy?

His eyebrows furrowed and he looked up at Techno, unconsciously drawing his hands up to hug himself. Memories of similar scenes flicker through his mind. 

He remembers when Fundy would start yelling at him. Ranboo has just assumed that it was stress, but to now know that he meant it hurt. 

Ranboo can sort of remember the way that he would always have to respawn because Fundy would ask to spar and then the fox hybrid would take it too far. The sting of death hurts, that’s almost all that he can recall.

“Ranboo?” Techno asks. Ranboo can see a tail turning and leaving quickly. Fundy must’ve been grabbing his stuff. Ranboo looks at Techno for a split second and then he’s scrambling towards the axe (when had he dropped it?) and holding it out.

Technoblade looks at the axe before taking it with delicate hands. His shoulders slump in relaxation. It’s then that Ranboo notices his friend’s lack of a golden crown that has diamonds and redstone embedded in it. 

His large, pink, piglin-like fingers trace over the small carvings, slightly-sharpened black nails scratching it lightly. His eyes hold a fond look in them as he stares at the axe, and then they’re holding a more neutral look. “What.. is this?” He asks, albeit hesitantly. He's not sure if he wants an answer.

Ranboo gives a wobbly smile. “I was going to give it to you later today, but since you’re here I might as well give it to you. It’s an axe--one that’s maxxed out with the best enchants there are.” Techno can feel this throat getting tighter. This was new--he wasn’t used to getting gifts. He was always giving gifts, not recieving. Tears well in his eyes and threaten to spill before he realizes he should probably thank the half-enderman for the gift.

So he clears his voice and, “Thanks.. but this is just rent. You had to have paid me back at some point. But thanks. It’ll do just fine. I’m sure.”

Ranboo seems to see through his words, though, and a smile beams. He plays along, “Oh, yeah no! Of course! It’s rent.”

Techno takes another look at the ace, noticing it’s lack of an engraved name on the hilt. “It’s.. not named?” He asks steadily. Ranboo nods.

“I wanted you to be able to name it. I heard about your other axe, the Axe of Peace, being lost, so I wanted to give you a new one. Not as a replacement, but hopefully as something better. A new beginning, maybe?”

“Where’s your anvil?” Techno says with a huff. Ranboo shows him, going to the small corner of his house. A signed book lays on the chest and Ranboo swipes it up. He gets rid of it because he doesn’t need it anymore. Technoblade names his new axe.

_ Axe of Amity,  _ it reads. It’s then that Technoblade truly noticed how relaxed he is and the literal gold strands that are embedded into the handle.

And it’s then that Technoblade can’t hide the small smile that ghosts his face as he and Ranboo set off to force Phil to make them breakfast. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you guys for the name suggestions!! they were all lovely and amazing, but i found 'amity' a better fit because of what inwanted the axe to symbolize--a budding friendship :]
> 
> and now, i leave you with this: enderman pick up blocks because they admire iron golems. 
> 
> thoughts?


	14. Act 1, Scene 14: A Hand to Hold (A Shoulder to Cry On) /p

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When the first act comes to an end, things are realized. People have been brought together and torn apart, and we can only hope that everything turns out well in the end. Hopefully in the next one, things will turn out the way they were meant to. After all, it was always meant to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to finish and post this during Ranboo's subathon because that man deserves so much. What he's doing right now isn't just human decency anymore--what he's doing is from the kindness of his heart. He's created such a kind community and I'm so glad that I'm able to be here for it.

The world seems to be frozen as he goes through the nether portal. There’s Tommy and Tubbo, mining through various veins of quartz. What did they need quartz for? 

Tubbo looks up and, before Ranboo has a chance to hide, he’s bounding over with a wide smile on his face. “Big man! It’s been a while, how’re you?” 

Ranboo forces a smile on his face. Wasn’t Tubbo supposed to hate him? Or at  _ least _ dislike him? “I’ve been good! How about you? I agree, it has been.. Quite a while. Two months, almost?” Tubbo nods. Tommy comes over, arms crossed and an annoyed look in his eyes, though he remains a neutral stance in Ranboo’s eyes. 

“I’ve been good, I’ve been good!” Tubbo yells, quite obviously excited. Ranboo nods and an  _ mhm _ sounds from his throat. Tommy says hello to Ranboo. Ranboo says hi back. They’re simple formalities, but they’re not really friends to begin with. Tommy didn’t really like him, which Ranboo couldn’t blame Tommy for. “Say, where have you been? Fundy went looking for you but he said he didn’t find you. Came back with a  _ nasty _ scar, too!” 

Ranboo gulps. “I’ve been.. Around.”

Tommy glares at his, arms still crossed and posture slouched. “Around, huh?” Tubbo gives Tommy a quick side-glance.

“Hey, Tommy?” Tommy grunts, “I think I forgot my chestplate over where we were mining--can you grab it for me, please? I’ll give you…” Tubbo checks his inventory, “I can give you a lilac in return!”

Tommy looks at Tubbo for a second. He mulls over the outcomes in his head for a few seconds, it seems. Then he nods. “Yeah, okay. I can do that.” He uncrosses his arms and starts walking back to where the two had been previously. Tubbo watches him leave, to make sure he’s actually going, before he looks at Ranboo with a melancholic and nostalgic smile that he's seen so many times in many different situations.

“I’m not mad at you.” Is the first thing he says, “Technoblade and Phil are great people, even if they’ve done terrible things. Do what makes you happy, big man.” 

Ranboo feels like crying now. He thought Tubbo was going to yell at him, not give him kind words of forgiveness for betraying him. “Thank you.” He whispers. “Thank you, Tubbo. Enjoy your life, too. Do things that make you happy.” He gives back the kindness. Tubbo nods and Tommy is back at his side, sheepishly smiling.

“I’m sorry, Tubbso, but I couldn’t find your chestplate. It might’ve despawned.” Tubbo just smiles and opens his inventory for a second time, handing three beautiful lilacs to his best friend.

“That’s okay! I can always make another one. Here, take the lilacs anyways,” Tommy takes them with a bit of hesitance and puts them in his offhand, smiling proudly. Ranboo gives a small smile at the interaction. Tubbo and Tommy really were the best of friends, weren’t they?

“Well, we’d better get going! I still have to figure out when the festival will take place and what festivities we’ll be having!” Tubbo’s smile never leaves his face as he talks. “You’ll come, won’t you, big guy?” He asks.

Ranboo mulls over it in his mind. 

“As long as my neighbors can come along without any consequences for their former actions.” He decides. It’s a fair trade. Besides, he doubts Phil and Techno would want to go. Phil, maybe, but definitely not Technoblade. Tubbo says they can and then the two friends are on their way back to whatever they were doing. 

///

Ranboo shuts the door to Techno's cottage behind him and slumps down to the floor, his slightly-longer hair an unruly mess. Tears had been streaming freely down his face earlier. They were happy tears, though, not ones full of suppressed sobs and trying to quiet himself down out of fear of someone noticing. 

He watched as Phil had practically ran over to him, asking if anything was wrong. Ranboo had just shook his head no and let tears fall down his face again. He didn't care that it hurt, not when he knew Tubbo still cared about him. Not when he knew that the two of them were still friends.

Ranboo lets Phil take him into his arms, however, and rub his back comfortingly. A kiss is pressed atop the crown of his head, and Ranboo is suddenly crying again. He doesn't think he’s felt this loved in years, this welcomed in years. The familial bond that he’d created with Phil (and hopefully Techno) had brought him to tears from a single soft kiss that’d been placed atop his head. 

Ranboo doesn’t remember the last time he’d felt a parent’s love--a father’s love, but he’s glad that he can feel it now, while he’s wrapped up in Phil’s arms and freely sobbing to his heart’s desire.

It feels wonderful. Like a bomb, but pleasant and sweet and everything nice. It feels like bliss, like a garden full of his favorite flowers, like the fur of his pets. It feels like everything that comforts him, the familial bond he and Phil have.

It takes a while for him to stop crying. Techno had arrived sometime between Ranboo being wrapped up in Phil’s arms and the small  _ vwoop  _ that had started to bubble from his chest from contentment and belonging. Techno is making dinner now while Phil tends to Ranboo’s crying-caused injuries.

It’s just a small ointment that he used to use for Techno when the piglin hybrid would accidentally injure himself, but it works for Ranboo weirdly enough. The actions mean the world to Ranboo, whether Phil and Techno know it or not.

The looming question that Ranboo begs to ask still sits heavy in his chest. It’s the one thing he’d remembered from his trip to the Nether besides the kind words of Tubbo and three lilac flowers in an unusually gentle hand. 

He breaks the silence with a  _ vwoop _ . This gains the attention of Phil and the perked up ears of Techno, which tells Ranboo that the piglin hybrid is listening.

“How you guys feel about..” He trails off as he thinks about how to phrase the words correctly, “How would you guys about going to a festival soon?” He finally gets out.

Phil raises an eyebrow, “What kind of festival?”

Ranboo has to choose his words carefully, as to not get an immediate rejection. “One that’s far away.. and welcoming, and without any repercussions of past acts of treason and-or terrorism?” He speeds up his words towards the end, shoulders pulling up to his neck as he waits for an answer.

Techno’s the first to respond, surprisingly. “Sure. Sounds fun.”

Even Phil looks surprised, both eyebrows raised as his head whips around. Ranboo worries about the old guy having whiplash, though he starts to doubt it because Phil’s a phantom hybrid and their skeleton works much differently from anyone else’s. Ranboo jots down a small note to ask about phantom hybrids when he gets the chance. 

“Besides, what could go wrong?” Techno turns to Ranboo, three plates in hand. “Where’s this festival being held?”

Ranboo thinks for a moment. If he’d have to guess, near L’Manberg. And even though Tubbo said they could go without repercussions of past defiances, there’s still a lingering doubt that something’s going to happen. “It’s in… You know what? Maybe we shouldn't go. It’ll be boring anyways.”

He doesn't tell them where the festival is being held. They have a pretty good guess of where, but they don’t push for an answer. If Ranboo wanted to tell them, he would. 

For dinner, they’re eating mutton. It’s cooked thoroughly, almost perfectly. They have a side of bread with it, which actually tastes pretty good compared to whatever L’Manberg had been eating during Ranboo’s stay. 

Phil finishes first, and then he’s talking about some books he found in a mine the other day. They seemed interesting, but he had to leave them because of his full inventory. He says that he might go back for them, but they’d been in Endspeak so he wouldn't have been able to read them. Maybe, just maybe, he had said, he would bring them for Ranboo to read. 

Ranboo smiles at the thought, though he isn't well-versed in his native language. Forgetting most of your first language came with the memory issue, Ranboo could only assume so. Sure, Edward was kind enough to translate things into simpler words, but other than that the enderman always spoke fluently when he was talking to Phil and Techno.

Techno talks about his day, too. He’d gone hunting, which had proven successful by the meat that they were currently eating. Overall, Techno says his day was boring. There wasn’t much adventure, he hadn’t been looking for it. He did have to clean his sword, though, from the festivities of murdering Fundy last night. 

Phil tries to act surprised.

As they talk, Ranboo finds his heart warming. It’s a good warm, it’s euphoric. He relishes in the family he’s found, and the banter they have. Moments like these, sitting and chatting, are a delicate pleasure that Ranboo wants to cherish.

This is a paradise. and he’s glad he’s found it.

As he listens to Phil and Techno talk about varying things with a bit of side-banter about who knows what, Ranboo finds himself smiling widely. He has two small fangs that show, and he doesn’t feel the need to cover them. They still have a long way to go in terms of healing, but they can work through their problems together. 

As long as they know they’ll follow each other down to the ends of the earth, they’ll be fine. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys for coming along for the ride!! Some things didn't go quite as planned, though I'm still happy with the way things turned out. Don't worry, this isn't the end of the fic, there's still another two acts (hopefully)!!
> 
> Act 2 will be coming soon, roughly around the day Ranboo's YouTooz comes out :]


	15. Act 2, Scene 15: For I Will Crush Your Mind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Act 2 of FOLLOW ME DOWN?: Give Me Your Life, For I Will Heal Your Heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> no, i will not apologize for using tommy and tubbo's full canonical names. they are funny and this chapter needs some humor.

The parrots sing through the snowy fields, awaking the three sleepers one by one. The sun has just started to rise, his beauty shining through the windows of the small cottage. The half-enderman is the first to wake , a stark contrast to the usual agenda. Normally, the piglin hybrid is to wake first and then the old phantom hybrid.

He travels down to his own basement, the chirps and howls and meows of his pets thoroughly waking him from his sluggish actions. He reaches down to gently pet Randog, the wild wolf he had tamed quite some time ago while he was still in L’Manberg (He thinks it was within his first month of being there?), and then he’s off to feed his cats. He’d fed the dog right before he went to bed, so he’d feed him last. 

There’s a knocking at his door when he’s finished feeding all his pets. His eyebrows crease--was Phil or Techno coming over today? He couldn’t recall and he didn't see anything in his memory book about it when he checked as soon as he woke up. 

He hurried up the ladder after shouting that he’d be there in a moment. When he opens the door, there stands Phil with a signed book and some cookies. Ranboo gives a questioning look. Had Phil made him cookies?

“Hey, mate!” Phil smiles. “These were left at me and Techno’s, but they said they were for you. I just figured that I’d bring them over.”

“Oh!” Ranboo smiles. “Who are they from?”

“I’ve got no idea.” Phil chuckles, “I didn’t look, didn’t want to pry into your business.”

Ranboo takes the cookies and the signed book, thanking the phantom hybrid. Phil’s right wing gives a little twitch, a recent development. Ranboo assumes that the twitches are from the damage they’d taken so many months ago, before Ranboo was around to witness it. Occasionally, the wings would accidently hit something, but it wasn’t really a bother. It was a natural reaction for Phil now. Why, Ranboo couldn’t begin to guess, but the imperfection was pleasant.

Phil says his goodbye, Ranboo waving as he chews on a cookie. They’re well-made, so he thinks that Niki must've left him the present. But as he looks at the book, his world seems to slow.

_ Thank you,  _ the book is titled. What had he done recently for anyone? He knows he gave Techno an axe, but he’s been personally thanked for it in a Technoblade manner. This wasn’t.. Technoblade-y. Slowly, he opens the books and reads its contents.

_ Ranboo, _

_ Recently, you’ve been a great help to me. You’ve brought me things I didn’t ask for and brought me things I  _ did _ ask for. And so, I thank you.  _

_ I thank you for helping me bring down a country. Thank you, for helping me bring down Tomathy “Big T” Careful Danger Kraken Innit and Tuberculosis Underscore Schlatt. _

  * _:)_



Ranboo’s vision blurs and he doesn’t know what’s happening. His breathing starts to quicken and he drops the cookies. What has he done? What did he do? Why did Ranboo help him? How.. How did he help him?

He drops the book and frantically searches through his memory book, searching for answers and signs of who he helped. Deep in his mind, he knows who he helped, but he doesn’t want it to be true. It can’t be true, he wouldn’t help someone so vile. He couldn’t and he wouldn't, he would never stoop so low.

Ranboo’s lip wobbles and tears threaten to spill as a terrified screech leaves his throat. It’s strangled and he’s sure Techno and Phil can hear him, but that doesn’t matter. 

He didn’t help Dream.

The world is spinning and he feels like he can’t breathe. His claws scratch as his throat as he tries to breathe, to try and get some relief from his panic. His vision starts to blur and then it goes black, a thump hitting the floor. 

///

A smile splays over Ranboo’s face as he helps Phil tend to the many animals that Techno had adopted over his time in the server. Any thought or reminder of what had happened that morning went from his mind. The world has resumed it’s normal pace and everything feels..  _ Right _ . 

“Hey, mate, can you grab that thing over there?” Phil asks, pointing Ranboo nods and goes to retrieve the thing. While walking, he thinks that he sees something in the distance, but he shakes it off as a creeper roaming the premises. “Thanks, Ranboo!” Phil smiles as the half-enderman hands him the thing he asked for.

///

Ranboo had never thought that he was going to be seeing Dream sitting in Techno’s living room, a steaming cup of hot chocolate in his hands as he and Techno talked in hushed whispers and vicious glares. 

A feeling of dread fills his gut and he closes the door behind him, causing the adult’s heads to turn his way and their conversation to cease. 

Dream’s mask is off his face--a wildly rare occurrence. His green eyes sparkly with recognition as he looks at Ranboo, a smile etching its way onto his face. He had freckles and a giant scar stretching from his cheek to his eyebrow. Ranboo noticed that Dream had a chipped tooth, probably a result of a fight from long ago. 

The half-enderman’s eyes flicked over to Techno, whose hair was in a tightly woven braid. He noticed that he had shifted to look more human, which Ranboo could only guess was for the formality of talking to someone as powerful and dangerous as Dream. He had glasses on his face, the black frame resting on the bridge of his nose. His crown rested atop his head still, that was something that never changed no matter if the piglin hybrid looked more piglin or human. 

“I didn’t realize that Ranboo lived here,” Dream commented, lifting up his cup to take a sip of his drink. He had one hand grasping the cup gently and the other holding onto the handle of the ceramic. Ranboo shifts under Dream’s stern gaze, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable in the house, a feeling he’d never really felt before if he were to guess correctly. “It’s nice to see an  _ old friend _ every now and then,”

Ranboo’s confused now. Techno looks confused, too, and he asks what Dream means. Dream just laughs and says that it’s nothing. 


	16. Act 2, Scene Sixteen: For I Will Break Your Bones.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ranboo keeps having nightmares, Techno makes bread, and Phil is there. 
> 
> The ground looks nice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW // Implied thoughts of suicide, thoughts of suicide, and possible derealization towards the end of the chapter, violence, and implied murder at the beginning !!

_ Wind rushes past him, his eyes wide and arms swinging past as he tries to outrun the inevitable. The snow crunches underneath him and he curses it silently for giving away his moving position.  _

_ The predator stalks the prey, moving silently, waiting for its prey to slow down out of exhaustion.  _

_ The prey runs, chest heaving as it tries to get away, When it falls, it’s legs scramble and hands claw at the building snow to get away, desperately looking behind it with fearful and pleading eyes as the predator sneaks up on it.  _

_ Get away, get away, the prey chants in its mind. The only thing it can think about is survival, living to see another day. _

_ Kill, kill, the predator’s mind chants in contrast to the prey’s mind. The only thing it can think about is feeding its family, their family living to see another day.  _

_ To the prey, the world is much too big, but to the predator the world is in its control. A mask falls to the ground and a tail swishes viciously, a devious smirk dancing on the predator’s lips. Words are spoken, but they go unheard. Fear flashes in the prey’s eyes as they realize that they’re done for. They won’t live another moment, once the predator pounces and claws and scratches at them.  _

_ A sword swings up, down, and then blood is adorning the predator’s clothes when it walks away with a soft smile on its face. _

* * *

Ranboo wakes with a start. His chest is pounding and his breathing is labored. His entire body hurts from how much he had sweat in his sleep. It takes a few seconds for him to calm down, and when he does he feels a vile feeling rush up from his stomach and to his throat.

He swallows it down. He instantly regrets doing so, the horrible taste lingering on his tongue. 

Ranboo tries to think of where he is, and what he’s doing. He knows that, after Dream had left Techno’s, the three residents of the tundra had eaten dinner (Phil had cooked up some mutton, one of Techno’s favorite foods). Then, he thinks that he had gone back to his house after bidding his friends goodbye. He’d looked at the book from earlier that morning and, with slow movements, tossed it into the fire. He then put the cookies away and headed off the bed.

Now, he was awake and sweating profusely. A nightmare, one he wished he didn’t remember. He takes a few seconds to catch his breath once more before he gets up to grab a small bottle of water. It’d do him some good to get something in his system, so that way if he felt like throwing up again it wouldn’t just be stomach acid. 

Ranboo sighs as he leans against the small counter, bottle in his hand. He reaches a hand to push his damp hair back, flinching at the sting he gets from rubbing the sore and rashing skin. He really had to figure out a solution to the whole water injury thing. 

The half enderman thinks about the dream. What had it meant? Who was in the dream? He had so many questions that couldn't be answered, the dream already gone from his mind and the likelihood of remembering it growing smaller with each passing second.

He goes to bed once he finishes the water, sleeping through most of the morning.

///

“Hey, mate?” A hand shakes him. “Wake up, bud, it’s lunch. Techno made some bread.”

Ranboo stirs in his bed, rubbing his eyes. His vision is blurred as he looks at Phil, but he nods and pushes the blankets off of him and hauls himself up, getting dizzy fairly quickly. Phil seems to notice and goes to grab the kid’s shoulders, but Ranboo holds a hand up politely and mutters an  _ I’m okay _ . Phil seems to notice Ranboo’s jittery and shaky movements, so he subsides from touching the teen; he does, however, remain cautious in case Ranboo ends up needing help. 

“What did you say Techno made?” Ranboo asks, voice sluggish from napping most of the day.

“Bread,” Phil smiles, “He used a different recipe this time.”

Ranboo laughs, “Let’s hope it tastes good.”

* * *

Night falls sooner than Ranboo had hoped. And, when the time comes for Techno and Phil to sleep, he trudges back to his home. Snow falls slowly from the sky, so Ranboo is sure to be quick in case the snow picks up and gets worse. He falls asleep much easier than expected when his head hits his pillow.

_ Snow covers the house, door to door and window to window, bottom to top. It’s like nothing he’s ever seen before. He wonders, for a second, if he could teleport away. To the top of the snow, maybe, and find refuge with his friends. It doesn’t seem likely, though, with the way that the wind blows and the snow still falls in rough manners. He sighs and turns around, making his way down to the bunker. It’s warmer down there.  _

_ When he gets down there, it’s deathly quiet. The birds aren’t chirping, the cats aren’t meowing, the dog isn’t barking, and the villagers aren’t humming.  _

_ In fact, they aren’t even in the room. That’s strange.. He doesn’t remember moving them. Even the enderman that’s started to live down here isn’t in the boat he inhabits. It’s… quiet. Too quiet. _

_ “Quiet?” A voice asks. It’s distorted, and he doesn’t know who’s talking. “Why, it’s quite loud in here. Can’t you tell?” The voice inquired. He didn’t know what they were talking about. His tail swished behind him anxiously. He wasn’t used to this--to quiet, not like this. He didn’t like it, he wanted it to stop.  _ Stop, stop, stop, _ the mantra of words chanted in his head like a siren.  _

_ “Listen.” The voice demanded. _

_ So he listened. He listened closely. _

  
_ “ _ _ It’s your fault. _ _ ” _

When Ranboo wakes in the morning, he’s scared. He’s frightened. He doesn’t know what these dreams are, what they mean, or why he’s having them.

__

He thinks the ground doesn’t look too bad from atop the mountains.

__

Phil calls for him. Breakfast is ready.

_  
_ Ranboo smiles softly and makes his way down the mountain, careful not to trip or fall. He does fall, though, when he’s close to the ground. He isn’t injured too badly--just a broken bone. He hadn’t meant to fall.  _I hadn’t meant to fall_ , he reminds himself constantly throughout the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, gang. How we feeling about Tommy?


	17. Scene Seventeen: For I Will Burn Your Skin,

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ranboo doesn't have control--what's he doing? why.. is he doing that?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw // Major self harm , derealization (?) , and out-of-control actions (literally, out of control) , 'out of body' experiences

“How’s that arm holding up, Ranboo?” Phil asks as he sets down a bowl of soup for the half-enderman to eat. Techno is busy getting more logs for the fire, he thinks. He doesn’t remember. 

“As good as it can, I guess,” Ranboo shrugs. To be honest, his arm didn’t really hurt when he broke it. It was pretty numb when he’d noticed he actually broke it. 

To be even more honest, he doesn't remember breaking it. All he knows, from what Phil has told him, is that he fell off that mountain by his house. Not too high to do any permanent damage, but still high enough to hurt him. Phil told him that he’d hit is head, too, though Ranboo doesn’t think so. Of course, Phil wouldn’t lie to him, but he doesn’t remember hitting his head.

“How’s the concussion?” Phil asked, sitting against the wall and peeling an apple with a knife. Ranboo shrugs. He doesn’t feel any different from how he usually feels. Sure, his head’s a bit fuzzier, but overall he’s still the same. He still feels the same, nothing’s changed.

The two fall into a comfortable silence. Perhaps too comfortable, because soon Ranboo is falling asleep and a dream comes by too quickly and leaves too slow. 

He rises with a start, hand flying up to his face. He’s sweating again, more so than a few nights ago. His nightmares just keep getting worse and he doesn’t know how to feel about them.

Ranboo barely registers Phil trying to calm him down and a worried Techno in the background. He’s so focused on the fact that he can remember the dream that he doesn’t realize that he’s stood up.

Well, he knows that he’s stood up, but he can’t move his body. It’s like he’s moving on autopilot. The only thing he seems to have control over is his face and his expressions.

Right now, his face looks.. confused. His eyebrows are knit together and his eyes hold a curiously confused gaze. The tea kettle whistles. Ranboo still doesn’t have control over his body. but his brain knows what’s happening.

Now, he’s scared. Frightened. Panicking. This wasn’t good, not at all. 

Slowly, his hand lifts up. He doesn’t know how it’s moving or who’s moving it, but he knows why it’s moving. It’s headed straight for the kettle. His eyes wide, he’s forced to watch as he lifts the kettle and drags it towards his already-injured arm. Phil and Techno watch in terror as the whistling stops.

They watch, stuck in place, as Ranboo pours the boiling water over his hand. 

He doesn’t stop until half of the water is gone. He doesn’t scream until he’s given control back over his body. He screams and falls to his knees, cradling his hand to his chest as tears fall down his face and make a sizzling sound that makes him cry harder.

He cries when Phil and Techno finally snap out of their own terrified daze and run to him, and he cried as Phil lectures him, and he cries as Techno quietly bandages his hand.

  
  


He doesn’t know why he did it..

_ :) _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im so sorry for the short chapter!! im updating this chapter at school because im swamped with a ton of things and, soon, i'm going to start doing volunteer work, so updates will be a bit slow. sorry again D:
> 
> i hope u all have a good day tho!! <3


	18. Scene Eighteen: For I Will Bandage Your Wounds,

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Techno bandages Ranboo's hand, Phil storms out like a child, and Ranboo opens his memory book again.

The world must always come to an end, Techno remembers. The world will always stop turning for someone. For one, it may be a family member dying; for others, it may be watching someone they’ve grown to care for hurt themselves or people around them.

For Techno, watching the world end.. No, not end- stop. Watching the world stop was watching Ranboo pour boiling water on himself.

It was like watching everything come to a halt, where you couldn’t do anything anymore. You couldn’t bring yourself to move, to feel, to speak, to hear. But for Techno, he could do all of those except move. He couldn’t bring himself to move forward until the damage had already been done.

It was.. Petrifying, to say the least. He watched as a frightened Ranboo had poured boiling water over himself. The half-enderman had looked so frightened, and it was obvious to tell that he was in pain, but he didn’t… react to the boiling water being poured over his already-injured hand. It was all so surreal, he didn’t know what to make of it.

He supposes that’s why he’s so calm right now. He doesn’t know how to react. Techno carefully inspects the burn--it’s covered almost his entire hand, the one more prominent of the kid’s enderman heritage. As Techno turns the burned limp, Ranboo hisses in pain.

Phil continues to reprimand him. Honestly, it’s getting on Techno’s nerves. 

“Phil.” Techno starts, “Leave the kid alone. He didn’t mean to do it.”

The old man looks at Techno with a ludicrous look on his face, like Techno had told him such a truth that it seemed like a lie. In a way, Techno had told him a truth that seemed so much like a lie. Ranboo had poured boiling water on his hand, and it looked like it had been done on purpose.

But the way he didn’t until seconds later told that there was a much bigger story than Ranboo had been letting on. Perhaps the whole breaking-his-arm thing wasn’t just a slip of the foot. Whatever was happening, Ranboo was determined to keep it to himself. 

Phil backs off. He says he needs to cool down and he leaves the cottage, slamming the door behind him. Techno turns his attention back to Ranboo, who now has tears streaming down his face again. He’d just stopped crying, and now he was crying again. He looked like he was trying to stop. 

“Hey, kid,” Techno starts again after a long silence, “What was that just now? That wasn’t like you,”

Ranboo shrugs, watching with a trembling body as Techno reaches to grab the bandages from the first aid kit.

He hadn’t meant to, he swears. He didn’t know what was happening, he swears he didn’t. He doesn’t know what happened or how it happened, he swears on his life he doesn’t, it’s true. He swears it is, he swears by it. 

He tells Techno as such, those exact words spilling from his mouth as he tries not to cry again. So far, not crying has been working. 

“Hey, kid, it’s okay. You don't have to explain anything you don't want to.” Techno reassures. Ranboo nods again, he doesn't trust his voice to not crack when he speaks. “Don’t worry about Phil, either. He’s just worried,”

Ranboo nods again. His uninjured hand ventures to his memory book. He needs a reminder, desperately.

He flips open the pages the best he can with one hand and, on the first page, the tenseness that he didn’t realize he had is gone. 

_ Friends _

_ Phil _

_ Techno _

_ Quackity _

_ Niki _

_ ↸∷ᒷᔑᒲ _

These people, written in this book, had to be family. Whether they were blood-related or not, they had to be if Ranboo had taken the time to write down their names in a delicate, neat handwriting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the short chapter, i want to really drag this out as much as i can without it getting too boring or setting too fast of a pace!!
> 
> remember that you're valid, loved, and welcomed <3 make sure you're resting, eating, and drinking water!! you're important <33


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